This invention relates to a system for constructing a structure in which supporting members carry transverse supported members, the method of construction and the special clip used in the construction. Examples of such structures are house and patio decks, boardwalks, benches, stair treads, bench seating, trellis systems and the like.
Decks are usually built onto the side of a house, rather than as freestanding structures, although they may be either. If built onto the side of a house, a ledger board or header is fastened to the side of the house, usually with lag screws, expansion bolts, or carriage bolts, but any fastener can be used. The vertical placement of the ledger board or header determines the height of the deck. According to standard practice, the deck area is then marked off using strings and batterboards. The top few inches of soil where the deck is to be constructed is removed and a sheet of black polyethylene can be placed over the ground so that vegetation does not grow up through the deck when it is completed. Holes for the supporting posts are then located and dug. The holes are generally at least two feet deep, but are recommended to always be deeper than the frost line. The posts can be set in the ground, in gravel or concrete, or on concrete piers. The posts are plumbed and aligned with each other so that the deck will be plumb with straight edges. Beams are then used to connect the posts, and joists—the supporting members—are attached on top of the beams. Joist hangers can be used or the joists can be screwed or nailed to the headers. The joists are typically placed on 16-inch or 24-inch centers. Decking—the supported members—is placed with the growth rings facing down so that they will not be visible in the completed deck. A ⅛″ space is usually left between the decking boards to allow for expansion. A 10d nail can be used as a convenient spacer. Decking is traditionally fastened down to the joists with spiral shank nails, ring shank nails, or coated screws. When pressure-treated wood is used, the manufacturer's suggestions for nail spacing and the size of nails should be followed. Decking can be laid down in a number of patterns, such as a herringbone, but the traditional method is to lay the decking parallel to the house. In any case, the decking must be laid transversely, whether at an angle or not, across the joists, so that at least two supporting members support each supported member. Rails and often stairs are then added to complete the deck.
The standard method of nailing directly through the deck boards has a number of attendant problems, including nails backing out of the wood with seasonal swelling and shrinkage, rusting of the nails and concomitant staining of the deck boards, wood bruises of the deck boards by hammer marks, and loosening of the boards due to nail pullout.
Some of these problems are addressed by a variety of existing deck tie and clips, but none of these excel the present invention in simplicity of design, ease of installation, or economy.